Three years after releasing The Astonishing, a bloated 34-song, 130-minute concept album set in a dystopian future, Dream Theater returns with a much leaner record. Distance Over Time, the band’s 14th studio release, is a classy collection of songs that finally and firmly establishes the current lineup (drummer Mike Mangini replaced fan favorite Mike Portnoy in 2011) as just as good as the classic lineup that helped usher in a new era of American progressive metal in the early ’90s.
There’s still more musicality rooted in these nine songs (10 if you splurge for the digipak version) than most bands can muster over the course of multiple albums. Newcomers should listen to “Fall Into the Light” to hear a seven-minute summary of all that makes Dream Theater so vital: dramatic vocals, hooky arrangements and melt-your-face musicianship with soaring guitars, sophisticated keyboards, artful bass and intricate drumming. From the earworm chorus of “Untethered Angel” to heavier tracks like “S2N” and “Paralyzed,” Distance Over Time proves that age (nobody in this band is younger than 51) is only a number.
Dream Theater will perform at the Miller High Life Theatre on Sunday, March 31
